Wafer backside protection apparatus

US6220771A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• Industrial Technology Research Institute · TW

Inventors

• Fu-Ching Tung · Hsinchu, TW
• Hong-Ming Chen · Beijing, CN
• Wu-Lang Lin · Kaohsiung, TW
• Chia-Ming Chen · Hsinchu, TW
• Jen-Rong Huang · Hsinchu, TW
• Peter Mahneke · Kürten, DE
• Janathan Wang · Hsinchu, TW

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 15, 1999
• Grant date: Apr 24, 2001
• Expiry date: Dec 15, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01L21/67028
• WIPO field: Semiconductors
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A wafer backside protection apparatus includes a motor, a vacuum chuck, an annular seat and a top cover. The motor has an output shaft upon which the chuck is mounted. The chuck has a front surface to suck and hold a wafer from its backside. The chuck has a backside in which a water guard ring and a plurality of slant bores are formed. The slant bores run from the water guard ring through the wafer front surface. The annular seat is located below the chuck and has two symmetrical slant nozzles projecting toward motor rotating direction for ejecting protection liquid to the water guard ring. Protection liquid may be spun and splashed out through the slant bores to form a protection liquid film between the chuck and the wafer backside due to centrifugal force resulting from chuck and wafer rotation driven by the motor. The protection liquid film may protect wafer backside from chemical erosion and contamination resulting from wafer production process.